View full sizeThe black bear captured Monday night, June 6, 2011, in Birmingham's Ensley neighborhood would be similar to this bear photographed by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photographer. (Special)

The condition of the bear's stained teeth, shows that it has been living in the wild, McCain said. She is not certain where the bear could have come from or what brought it into the inner city.

In 2001, the zoo handled a bear cub that had been found in Clanton, a zoo official said. That cub had been privately owned, she said.

The zoo will not keep the bear found this morning, because it does not currently have a bear exhibit, McCain said. The Alabama Fish and Wild Life will find a home for the bear, she said. For now it will be in quarantine for about 30 days while it is checked for diseases or any other problems, she said.

Story corrected at 1:25 p.m., June 7, 2011, to reflect change in speaker and that earlier bear captured in Clanton.